One should work according to his own nature; no work is abominable, if performed in the service of the Supreme Lord.

Finding the right job: mapping vocations to qualifications

The Amish are typically vaishyas, operating successful farms and businesses.

Encouraging people to take up occupations according to natural inclination and qualities

Text 41
brahmana-kshatriya-visham
shudranam cha parantapa
karmani pravibhaktani
svabhava-prabhavair gunaih

TRANSLATION
Brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras are distinguished by their qualities of work, O chastiser of the enemy, in accordance with the modes of nature.

TEXT 42
shamo damas tapah shaucham
kshantir arjavam eva cha
jñanam vijñanam astikyam
brahma-karma svabhava-jam

TRANSLATION
Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness – these are the qualities by which the brahmanas work.

TEXT 43
shauryam tejo dhritir dakshyam
yuddhe chapy apalayanam
danam ishvara-bhavash cha
kshatram karma svabhava-jam

TRANSLATION
Heroism, power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity, and leadership are the qualities of work for the kshatriyas.

TEXT 44
krishi-go-rakshya-vanijyam
vaishya-karma svabhava-jam
paricharyatmakam karma
shudrasyapi svabhava-jam

TRANSLATION
Farming, cattle raising and business are the qualities of work for the vaishyas, and for the shudras there is labor and service to others.

TEXT 45
sve sve karmany abhiratah
samsiddhim labhate narah
sva-karma-niratah siddhim
yatha vindati tach chrinu

TRANSLATION
By following his qualities of work, every man can become perfect. Now please hear from Me how this can be done.

TEXT 46
yatah pravrittir bhutanam
yena sarvam idam tatam
sva-karmana tam abhyarchya
siddhim vindati manavah

TRANSLATION
By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading, man can, in the performance of his own duty, attain perfection.

PURPORT
As stated in the Fifteenth Chapter, all living beings are fragmental parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. As such, the Supreme Lord is the beginning of all living entities. This is confirmed in the Vedanta-sutra – janmady asya yatah. The Supreme Lord is therefore the beginning of life of every living entity. And the Supreme Lord, by His two energies, His external energy and internal energy, is all-pervading. Therefore one should worship the Supreme Lord with His energies. Generally the Vaishnava devotees worship the Supreme Lord with His internal energy. His external energy is a perverted reflection of the internal energy. The external energy is a background, but the Supreme Lord by the expansion of His plenary portion as Paramatma is situated everywhere. He is the Supersoul of all demigods, all human beings, all animals, everywhere. One should therefore know that as part and parcel of the Supreme Lord it is his duty to render service unto the Supreme. Everyone should be engaged in devotional service to the Lord in full Krishna consciousness. That is recommended in this verse.

Everyone should think that he is engaged in a particular type of occupation by Hrishikesh, the master of the senses. And, by the result of the work in which one is engaged, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, should be worshiped. If one thinks always in this way, in full Krishna consciousness, then, by the grace of the Lord, he becomes fully aware of everything. That is the perfection of life. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita, tesham aham samuddharta. The Supreme Lord Himself takes charge of delivering such a devotee. That is the highest perfection of life. In whatever occupation one may be engaged, if he serves the Supreme Lord, he will achieve the highest perfection.

TEXT 47
shreyan sva-dharmo vigunah
para-dharmat sv-anushthitat
svabhava-niyatam karma
kurvan napnoti kilbisham

TRANSLATION
It is better to engage in one's own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another's occupation and perform it perfectly. Prescribed duties, according to one's nature, are never affected by sinful reactions.

PURPORT
One's occupational duty is prescribed in Bhagavad-gita. As already discussed in previous verses, the duties of a brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya and shudra are prescribed according to the particular modes of nature. One should not imitate another's duty. A man who is by nature attracted to the kind of work done by shudras should not artificially claim himself to be a brahmana, although he may be born into a brahmana family. In this way one should work according to his own nature; no work is abominable, if performed in the service of the Supreme Lord. The occupational duty of a brahmana is certainly in the mode of goodness, but if a person is not by nature in the mode of goodness, he should not imitate the occupational duty of a brahmana. For a kshatriya, or administrator, there are so many abominable things; a kshatriya has to be violent to kill his enemies, and sometimes a kshatriya has to tell lies for the sake of diplomacy. Such violence and duplicity accompany political affairs, but a kshatriya is not supposed to give up his occupational duty and try to perform the duties of a brahmana. One should act to satisfy the Supreme Lord. For example, Arjuna was a kshatriya. He was hesitating to fight the other party. But if such fighting is performed for the sake of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there need be no fear of degradation. In the business field also, sometimes a merchant has to tell so many lies to make a profit. If he does not do so, there can be no profit. Sometimes a merchant says, "Oh, my dear customer, for you I am making no profit," but one should know that without profit the merchant cannot exist. Therefore it should be taken as a simple lie if a merchant says that he is not making a profit. But the merchant should not think that because he is engaged in an occupation in which the telling of lies is compulsory, he should give up his profession and pursue the profession of a brahmana. That is not recommended. Whether one is a kshatriya, a vaishya, or a shudra doesn't matter, if he serves, by his work, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even brahmanas, who perform different types of sacrifice, sometimes must kill animals because sometimes animals are sacrificed in such ceremonies. Similarly, if a kshatriya engaged in his own occupation kills an enemy, there is no sin incurred. In the Third Chapter these matters have been clearly and elaborately explained; every man should work for the purpose of yajña, or for Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Anything done for personal sense gratification is a cause of bondage. The conclusion is that everyone should be engaged according to the particular mode of nature he has acquired, and he should decide to work only to serve the supreme cause of the Supreme Lord.

TEXT 48
saha-jam karma kaunteya
sa-dosham api na tyajet
sarvarambha hi doshena
dhumenagnir ivavritah

TRANSLATION
Every endeavor is covered by some sort of fault, just as fire is covered by smoke. Therefore one should not give up the work which is born of his nature, O son of Kunti, even if such work is full of fault.

PURPORT
In conditioned life, all work is contaminated by the material modes of nature. Even if one is a brahmana, he has to perform sacrifices in which animal killing is necessary. Similarly, a kshatriya, however pious he may be, has to fight enemies. He cannot avoid it. Similarly, a merchant, however pious he may be, must sometimes hide his profit to stay in business, or he may sometimes have to do business on the black market. These things are necessary; one cannot avoid them. Similarly, even though a man is a shudra serving a bad master, he has to carry out the order of the master, even though it should not be done. Despite these flaws, one should continue to carry out his prescribed duties, for they are born out of his own nature.

A very nice example is given herein. Although fire is pure, still there is smoke. Yet smoke does not make the fire impure. Even though there is smoke in the fire, fire is still considered to be the purest of all elements. If one prefers to give up the work of a kshatriya and take up the occupation of a brahmana, he is not assured that in the occupation of a brahmana there are no unpleasant duties. One may then conclude that in the material world no one can be completely free from the contamination of material nature. This example of fire and smoke is very appropriate in this connection. When in wintertime one takes a stone from the fire, sometimes smoke disturbs the eyes and other parts of the body, but still one must make use of the fire despite disturbing conditions. Similarly, one should not give up his natural occupation because there are some disturbing elements. Rather, one should be determined to serve the Supreme Lord by his occupational duty in Krishna consciousness. That is the perfectional point. When a particular type of occupation is performed for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord, all the defects in that particular occupation are purified. When the results of work are purified, when connected with devotional service, one becomes perfect in seeing the self within, and that is self-realization.